


Bull In a China Shop

by i_amthecosmos



Category: Descendants (Disney Movies)
Genre: M/M, adult au, carlos doesn't get paid enough for this shit, jay is a human disaster, meet ugly, real life AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-15
Updated: 2020-03-14
Packaged: 2021-02-28 00:28:39
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 9,247
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22744801
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/i_amthecosmos/pseuds/i_amthecosmos
Summary: Carlos is a department store manager, and Jay is a disturbance.
Relationships: Jay/Carlos de Vil
Comments: 13
Kudos: 51





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> From a list of 'Meet Ugly" prompts.

Carlos looked at his watch. He’d been at work since seven am. He was the only manager on duty, and thanks to Audrey calling in, he would be closing. 

(‘Family emergency’, Audrey said. Carlos knew damn well she was going to the spa. Why did she even have to work anyway? She didn’t need the money.) 

So Carlos was tired, he hadn’t eaten, and was just counting down the minutes. But really, nothing that bad had happened-

“Six hundred dollars for a purse that size? My dick wouldn’t even fit in there!”

“Oh boy,” Carlos muttered, and looked at Jane, who was working the jewelry department. “I’ve got it.” Jane looked terrified, but nodded as Carlos went in the direction of the yelling. 

“What the fuck is this? Eight hundred dollars? Hey, would you actually fucking buy this? You don’t have anything better to do with your money? There’s kids out there who need school supplies and three meals a day, you know that?” 

Carlos turned the corner and saw a tall man with long hair, well built and handsome. He was wearing sweat pants and a tank top and drinking out of a half pint bottle of whiskey. He was glaring at the purses, and a lot of his wealthier clients were on their way out of the door. 

Carlos took a deep breath, and stood in front of the man. “All right, that’s enough,” he said, big fake smile on. “I’m the manager. You need to leave.” The man stared at him, brow furrowed in confusion. He was really cute, Carlos noticed. “Come on, you’re scaring paying customers.” 

The man kept staring. Then he got a huge grin on his face. Just when Carlos wondered if he needed to call security, the man reached out and messed up Carlos’s hair.

“Catch me!” He sprinted across the sales floor.

 _Goddamn it,_ Carlos thought. His feet hurt too much to run. He followed the giggling maniac running through his store at a slow jog.

Then the man cut through the jewelry section, where Jane was. Jane waited until he was nearly there, and flipped the short door to her section open. It caught the man right in the groin. Carlos heard a choked-off cry as the man he went down. Carlos caught up to him as he writhed on the floor. “Jane, I’m getting you a raise for this,” he said. “Now I’m taking this idiot to my office. You watch the store while I’m gone.” 

Carlos got the man under his arms and dragged him across the floor to his office. He wasn’t knocked out, and he kept muttering things, but he made no effort to get away. When Carlos got them in his small office, he locked the door behind them. 

“What are we doing here?” The man seemed to be sobering up a little. “That hurt, by the way.”

“You’re in my office, and I’m calling the cops,” Carlos said as he got on the land line for the store. “You scared away some of my best customers and then acted like an ass. You’re gonna go to jail for public intoxication, and probably more.” 

The man was silent for a minute, but then Carlos felt a tug on his pants. Jay was still on the floor, but looking up at him, pleading. “Don’t call the police, please. I’ll be good.” Carlos leaned down to push the man’s hands away. “I don’t want to go to jail.”

“You should have thought about that before you got drunk and came in here,” Carlos snapped. “I’ve had a terrible day, and I don’t need this on top of everything else. I haven’t even had a chance to eat today. I’m going to call the police and get you off my hands.” 

Carlos got the phone, ready to make the call.. He felt another tug on his pants, and ignored it. Then he felt something against his hand and looked over. The man had pushed a granola bar onto the desk. “Here,” the drunk man said. “I always keep one with me.” 

Carlos looked at it. It had been a bit squished from being dragged, but it was intact. “Go ahead and have it,” he said. “But please don’t call the cops. I don’t have a way home.” The man stared at him with big dark eyes. “My name’s Jay.” 

Carlos put down the phone, and picked up the granola bar. “Jay. My name’s Carlos.” Carlos looked at the coffee maker behind him, and got up to make some. “Sit up if you can,” he said. “You can have some coffee if you stay back here. Until you sober up.” 

“Okay,” Jay said, and he moved until he was propped up against the wall.. Carlos made two cups of coffee, and ate the granola bar with his. Jay sipped his coffee slowly. “I’m sorry,” Jay said. “I’ve had a bad day too. My boyfriend left me.” 

Carlos nodded. “Sorry to hear that.”

Jay nodded. “I’d tell you about it, but having trouble focusing,” he said. “I’m tired. You said I can stay here?”

“I’m here until closing,” Carlos said. “When I have to count down drawers, you need to go. But until then you can be here. If you don’t have any money I’ll call you a Uber.” 

“I’m not sure if I still have my phone,” Jay said. “I might have lost it on the street.” He started to fumble through his pockets. “Oh good, it’s here. My wallet’s gone, though.” Carlos sighed. This man was a disaster. 

A cute disaster, but still. 

“Okay, I’ve got a store to run,” Carlos said. “Stay in the back area. There’s a bathroom down the hall. Do _not_ come out onto the sales floor. If you do I’ll have you arrested immediately. Do you understand?” Jay nodded. “Thank you. I’ll check on you every now and then. Bye.” 

“Bye,” Jay said, and Carlos hurried back to the floor, not sure what he would tell Jane. 

…

He did check on Jay a few times. The first time he went back, he heard the sound of retching from the bathroom, and turned right around and went back to the sales floor. He went back a couple of hours later, and Jay was asleep his office chair, snoring softly. At least he wasn’t being disruptive anymore. Jane’s surprise attack must have taken the fight out of him. 

By the time he locked the doors, Carlos was exhausted. He told Jane that he had something else to do, and went back to his office one last time. Jay was awake and poking at his phone. “Okay. Did you call for an Uber?” 

Jay nodded. He seemed down then, and Carlos remembered that he’d had a breakup. “Okay. I’m going to let you out of the back door. I hope I don’t get in trouble for this. There’s cameras everywhere.” 

“I hope you don’t either,” Jay said softly. ‘I’m really sorry I ruined your day.”

“It was ruined before you got here,” Carlos said. “Let me show you out.” Jay followed him down the hallway, and Carlos opened one of the employee doors. “Have a better night.” 

Jay stood in front of him for a minute. “You too. Thanks for not calling the police.” Then the tall, beautiful man hugged him and left. Carlos watched him go, then closed the door.


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jay sends a thank you, and Carlos calls him.

Carlos got a verbal warning for not calling the cops. The only reason he didn’t get sent home without pay was Audrey leaving him high and dry. The district manager decided to punish her instead and keep Carlos around, since at least he showed up. 

Carlos got a day off, then came back in. Jane met him when he came in the door. “Carlos! He came back!”

“Shit, how bad was it?” He’d told Jay not to come back, didn’t he?

“No. No, he was sober.” Jane was staring at him with big blue eyes. “But he was looking for you. He left this for you.” She pushed a manila envelope at him. 

Carlos opened it. In it were two granola bars, and a note. _Thanks for not calling the cops. I can’t lose my space on the team. I’m really sorry for what happened. Keep the bars-don’t let yourself go without food. That never leads to good things. Your friend, Jay. PS. I found my wallet, it was in my other pocket._

Under his signature, there was a phone number and a Twitter account. “Wow. I didn’t expect that.” He put the number in his phone without even being sure why, and then checked out the Twitter account. “Oh, holy shit.” He showed his phone to Jane.

Jane’s eyes went comically wide. “Forward on the Auradon Spirit basketball team? Oh my god.” She looked for a minute. “He’s got so many followers. I can’t believe it.”

“What if someone got video of him losing his shit in my store? It could ruin him.” He thought about the security tapes. “He wouldn’t deserve that.” Carlos knew he couldn’t destroy the tapes, and he wouldn’t. But he hoped nobody would ever leak them. 

“Oh please, he’d get on TMZ and then everyone would forget about it a day later,” Jane said. “He didn’t say anything really horrible, he just acted stupid. Hist teammates have done worse I’m sure.” Then Jane got a customer, and she went over to help her. 

Carlos took the envelope to the office, and ate one of the granola bars before as he looked over the sales from last night.  
He thought about how nice it was for Jay to think of him, but now he had to get back to work. 

…

After a long day, Carlos had finally gotten home. The first thing he did was run a hot bath. While he soaked in it, he got his phone. He didn’t really expect anything to happen, but he called Jay. 

“Hey,” Jay said. “New number, who dis?”

“This is Carlos,” he said. “I just wanted to thank you for the present. I can hang up if you’re doing something important.” 

A pause. Then there was a delightful giggle, and Carlos grinned hearing it. “Did you like it?” Jay sounded thrilled. “I just wanted to make up for causing you trouble. Did you eat the granola bars?” 

“I ate one,” Carlos said, leaning his head back against the tub. “Next time, get me candy. Granola bars are okay, but chocolate is better.” Jay laughed again, and Carlos did too. “You know you’re banned from the store, right?” 

Another pause. “Oh,” Jay said. “I guess I am. I won’t go by again, it might be bad for you. Did you get in any trouble because of me?”

“Not really,” Carlos said. “Hey, I’m sorry you had a bad breakup,” he said. Jay was silent. “Are you doing any better?” Jay was still silent. “Wait, I’m sorry. I don’t really know you that well.” Carlos sunk down a little further in the tub. He wasn’t the best at making friends, and his awkwardness must show.

“It’s still pretty shitty,” Jay said. “I swore not to drink for a while until I could trust myself not to be an ass. But honestly, I should’ve known better. Harry is one of the most fucked up people I’ve ever met and I still fell for his charm.” 

“Yeah, I hear you,” Carlos said. “My last boyfriend just seemed perfect, you know? The sweetest person I’ve ever been with. Remembered my birthday, bought me gifts for no reason.. But he turned out to be involved with a girl on the side. When I confronted him, he said that I should’ve know he’d do that because he was bisexual. And that is so not an excuse.” Carlos had to take a deep breath-thinking about Ben was still painful. 

“Oh that’s bullshit,” Jay said. “I’m bi, and I don’t do that. You see someone, then you’re seeing that person. So you’re right, it’s a shitty excuse.” Carlos moved in the tub again, gently splashing. “Wait, are you taking a bath right now?” Jay laughed. “You’re naked and telling me about your ex?” 

“Fuck off,” Carlos said, and Jay laughed louder. “M legs were sore, so I’m soaking. You play basketball, don’t you do that?” 

“I like showers better,” Jay said. “And the team has our own massage therapist. Great guy, does a good job.” Jay paused. “I guess after the first impression that I have you, I’m surprised you’d call me at all. Much less while trying to relax.” 

“You aren’t so bad when you’re not yelling about purses and running from me.” Carlos said, and Jay laughed again. “But I’m glad you talked me out of calling the cops. That could have been embarrassing for you and the team.”

“Eh, I’d make it,” Jay said. “But I didn’t want to get benched. They’re trying to crack down a little, since some of my teammates have been assholes too. Look, I probably need to get off the phone. But could you call me again?”

“Sure.” Carlos had lost most of his friends when he broke up with Ben. He had thrown himself into work, to keep busy. But he missed having a friend. “I’ll call or text you later. I have to go to bed soon, I’m opening tomorrow.”

“They work you too hard,” Jay said. “Goodnight.” Then he hung up. 

Carlos put his phone down and got out of the tub. He didn’t know why he felt so comfortable talking to Jay, but he liked it. Then he got ready to sleep, setting his alarm and collapsing into bed.


	3. Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jay and Carlos go out. Carlos isn't sure if it's a date.

The next morning started off shitty. His alarm didn’t go off, so he was late for work. His employees were all waiting for him to unlock the door. “Sorry, sorry,” he muttered as he left them in. Nobody said anything, but he could feel some stares aimed at his back. 

He didn’t have to work until closing, at least. After a long day, he took himself out for dinner, as a treat. He texted Jay while he was there, but didn’t get an answer. Carlos figured he was busy. So he finished his solo dinner, left a tip, and then headed back to his apartment. He went to bed soon after.

He woke up to his phone ringing. He looked at the time, and it was midnight. “Hey?” He said, groggy. 

“Hey, it’s Jay. Did I wake you up?” Carlos blinked a few times.

“Yeah, I went to bed early. Thought I’d catch up on sleep since I have tomorrow off.” Carlos sat up, rubbing his eyes. “How are you doing? Everything okay?” Was Jay in trouble? 

“Oh, no. I just wanted to return your message. I probably should’ve just texted back. I’m sorry I woke you up. It’s just to me, this isn’t even late.” Carlos smiled-Jay was really a goof.

“I can talk a few minutes. I don’t have any trouble going back to sleep if I’m woken up.” This wasn’t exactly true. “How was your day?”

“Good. Practice, then lunch out with some of the guys from the team. Then workout, and then I came home. It’s nice but I don’t really have anyone to talk to that’s not from work, you know?” Carlos nodded. He knew exactly what that was like.

“Yeah. I feel like I never see anyone outside work. I ate out by myself tonight, so that was good. Good food.” 

“Wow, you ate alone? I could never do that.” Jay sounded impressed. “I always like to have someone around. Hey-I’m not doing anything tomorrow. Would you like to meet up? Maybe see a movie? I’d like to hang out with someone new.” 

‘Um. Okay. That might be fun.” Carlos wondered if this was a date. He had broken up with Ben not long ago, and Jay was in the same situation. But he didn’t say anything about it being a date. So it probably wasn’t. “Why don’t we meet downtown, where the old theater is? Is that good?”

“Okay, that’s not too far from me,” Jay said. ‘I’ll text you tomorrow and decide on a time. I’ll let you get back to sleep now. See you then.”

“Okay, bye.” Carlos hung up and curled on his side. He did fall asleep faster than he’d expected. 

The next day, he and Jay texted back and forth until they agreed to meet at a cafe. Carlos got a coffee and waited with his tablet. After a while, he heard “Hey.” He stood up as Jay came over. Jay had his hair half-up, half-down, and was wearing black skinny pants and a black shirt with a vest. Did he dress up for this? Carlos had checked out his social media, and he seemed to live in sweatpants. “How are you?” Then Jay came in for a hug. 

Carlos returned it, remembering the one Jay had given him the at the store. “I’m good. How are you?” 

“Good. No practice today, but maybe I’ll be at the gym later. I’m glad I got a few hours. I’m going to get something, are you hungry? I’ll pay if you want.” 

Again, was this a date or not? Carlos hesitated, and he saw Jay look apprehensive. “Okay,” he said, and Jay smiled again. “Just a wrap. There’s a good one with chickpeas and kale.” Jay nodded and went to order. Carlos sat back down, noting the butterflies in his stomach. Jay was really cute.

Jay came back with the wrap, a huge meal of soup and two sandwiches, and a chocolate bar. “Here. You said to get chocolate for you next time.” Carlos grinned and looked down. 

“Thanks for remembering.” He took a bite of his wrap. “Thanks for this too.”

“Are you a vegetarian?” Carlos nodded. “Cool. You have any animals?”

“Not right now. My apartment won’t allow them. I had to get a cheaper place. My friend Evie has my dog now. I wish I got to see him more.” He missed Dude a lot. “If I could I’d have a place with a big yard and lots of dogs.” 

“You had to get a cheaper place? What happened?” Jay was watching him, and his gaze was intense, but not unfriendly.

Carlos picked at his wrap. “I met Ben at my old job, which was an exclusive menswear store. After we broke up I wound up quitting so I wouldn’t have to see him. Then I got the manager job where I am now. It doesn’t pay as much.” 

“Damn. I’m sorry.” Jay was already almost finished with his first sandwich. “I met Harry at a bar. At least I can just not go to it again. He’s not involved in sports so I won’t see him.” Carlos nodded. He wish he could stop seeing Ben everywhere, but he’d have to give away his TV to do that. 

They talked a bit more as they ate. Carlos ate half of his big chocolate bar and saved the rest, wrapping it in a napkin and putting it in his bag “So, what movie are we seeing? Or are we going to pick when we get there?” Jay grinned. 

“Well, there’s a gay movie that doesn’t seem to suck. We could try that. Or there’s a horror movie.”

“Nope on the horror, not a fan,” Carlos said. “But yeah, let’s see if the gay movie is disappointing or not.” Jay stood up and got both of their trays. Carlos watched him go. This had to be a date, right? But then Jay was back and they left to walk to the movies.

…

“Well, gotta say that movie wasn’t so bad.” Carlos and Jay had just left the theater, and Jay was walking him back to his car. “I liked the ending.” He and Jay had sat next to each other in the theater, and Carlos might have sniffled a little at the end. 

“It was pretty good,” Jay said. “Um, which one is your car?” Carlos had to look, then pointed to across the street. “Okay.” They crossed the street. Jay wasn’t holding his hand, and he hadn’t said anything about it being a date. But when they reached Carlos’s car, Jay said “Okay, bye.” Carlos held his arms out, expecting another hug.

Instead, Jay pulled him in, and gave him a soft kiss. It didn’t last long, but Jay held him close. “Too much?” he said, almost against Carlos’s lips.

“No,” Carlos said, and kissed him again. His mind was whirring, with a lot of questions. Were they both rebounding? Was kissing the man who could have put his career in jeopardy a bad idea? But Carlos didn’t say anything. 

After a minute, they broke apart. Carlos stared at Jay for a minute, trying to think of something to say. “Um, do you need a ride to your car?” It was pretty lame, but it was all he had. Jay shook his head. “Is it a long way?” 

“I can walk. I don’t have a car right now. Well, I have a car, but my license is suspended.” Carlos gaped, and Jay sighed. “Yeah, there’s other reasons why I’m trying not to drink now. I hope that’s not a dealbreaker.” 

“Well,” Carlos said. “It does make me worry about you. But we can talk about that later, deal with it when we need to. But I can still give you a ride. I’m glad you kissed me, by the way-I wasn’t sure if this was a date or not.” 

Jay smiled at him. “Okay. Glad you’re not kicking me to the curb. I’ll take the ride if it’s not too awkward. I’m a mile north. The apartments on Iris street.” Carlos grinned and unlocked his car. The ride was quiet, except for Jay singing along to the radio. Talking about his drinking seemed to make him a little withdrawn. 

When Carlos got to Jay’s apartment complex, Jay leaned over and kissed him again. “I’ll call you soon,” Jay said. “Do you want me to text you tonight? Or is that clingy?” 

“Text me before bed,” Carlos said. “I should be ready to sleep around midnight.” Jay smiled, then kissed him once more before getting out. Carlos watched him go inside his apartment, and then he left. He was starting something with a well known basketball player, who had just had a breakup. And who also had a drinking problem. This might not have been his best decision. 

…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's no real homophobia in this. Being gay doesn't matter. Mostly because I didn't want to deal with it.


	4. Chapter Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Second date and its aftermath. Gets a little awkward.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just changed the rating to 'explicit'. You'll see why in the next chapter.

They stayed in touch through texts and calls for a couple of weeks. Carlos had to work overtime, and Jay had an away game. Carlos still felt some hesitancy, but Jay was sweet and charming. And anyway, he thought as he texted Jay back one night after closing, he had already tried a relationship with someone who seemed perfect. At least this time he knew what he was getting into.

Finally, they had time for a date. Jay picked him up in a black car with a driver. He had his hair braided back this time, and was wearing another nice shirt and pants set. “Hey” Jay said. He sounded happy, a little wound up, and Carlos smiled. “I’ve got reservations, for you, it’s a surprise.” Then he pulled Carlos in for a kiss. They climbed in the back of the car then.

“Really? Second date and you pull out all the stops?” Jay was still smiling, but then it faltered a little. “No, no, that’s fine. I don’t mind. I like going somewhere new. And anywhere you want to take me is great.” 

“Okay,” Jay said, and he put some music on. They both sang along this time, to fill the silence. Carlos had told Jay pretty much everything in their calls. Carlos was worried they’d have nothing to say during dinner, when they pulled up. Then Carlos couldn’t say anything at all.

“Auradon City Grille. I checked, they have a lot of vegetarian food. Especially for a place with ‘Grille’ in the title.” Carlos didn’t respond, he just stared at the neon sign in the window. His mind flashed back to Ben, and all the times he’d taken Carlos there. Then he blinked a few times, and looked at Jay.

“What’s wrong? Is it too much? Shit, what did I do? We can go somewhere else.” Jay started looking at his phone, and Carlos got his tongue. 

“It’s okay, it’s fine. I just didn’t expect it.” Carlos smiled over at Jay. “I haven’t been here in a while. I was surprised, I guess.” 

Jay looked like he didn’t believe it, but they parked the car and got out. They went inside and Jay grinned at the hostess. “Hi, two for the seven o’clock reservation.” 

The hostess looked at Carlos, then back at Jay, then got the menus. “Follow me please.” They were seated in a nice area that wasn’t very crowded. They sat across from each other, and Jay looked at the menu.

“Do you want me to order you some wine?” Jay looked over. “I’m trying not to drink myself, but it probably won’t bother me.” 

“I actually don’t drink,” Carlos said. “And it might be best if you weren’t exposed to it. I’m not trying to tell you what to do, but you don’t know how the smell will effect you.” 

“Yeah, good point,” Jay said. He put down the wine menu. “You look really good. You get that outfit at your store?”

“Some of it,” Carlos grinned. “I get a discount, so most of my wardrobe is from there. But I made the shirt. I’ve worked as a professional tailor, after all. I make clothes when I have time.” Jay looked awed, and was about to say something when the waiter came over. 

Carlos remembered the waiter from when Ben would take him here, and he was sure the waiter remembered him. But he didn’t let on, and instead got their drink orders and left. Carlos fiddled with the menu. 

“You seem a little nervous,” Jay said. “Does something about this place not sit right with you?”

“Okay,” Carlos said, looking up. “Ben used to take me here. So yeah, it does make me nervous a little. I like it, but it’s a lot of memories. I’m sure the staff remembers me too.” 

“You must have come here a lot,” Jay said. “Do you want to go? You can be honest, I don’t care.” 

Carlos thought about it, then nodded. Jay pulled his chair back and stood up. “Then let’s go. We can try somewhere else.” Carlos got up, and Jay threw some money on the table. “For the waiter, so we didn’t waste his time.” They left, then, going back to the car. “Fuck it. Let’s get burgers.”

“I’m a vegetarian.”

“Let’s get soy burgers.” They laughed as they got out of there.

…

The next day, Carlos was at work to close, and Jane caught up with him. “You’re dating Jay?”

“Um, yeah I am. Why?” Jane handed Carlos her phone. “Oh shit, here we go.” 

It was the local paper, and showed a picture of him and Jay at the noodle house they’d wound up at after leaving Auradon Grille. There was a couple of sentences about the new star of the basketball team and the pretty young man with him. Then they listed his name.

“I was hoping to avoid that for a while,” Carlos said. “I got too much of that with Ben.”

“Have you told him about Ben?” Carlos shook his head. “Well, better do it quick.”

“Right,” Carlos said. “Thanks Jane. You’re a sweetheart.” Jane beamed at him and then went to clean her jewelry counter. Carlos went about his business, making a note to call Jay and talk to him when he got home. 

Jay beat him to it. Carlos had let him know when he’d be home, and Jay called as he was walking in the door. “Hey Jay.” 

“Hey.” Jay sounded a little standoffish. “So...I had a gossip reporter ambush me in the parking garage. They asked me about you, and I thought that was kinda weird. You’re not famous.”

“No, I’m not.”

“But,” Jay continued. “The guy said your mom used to be a famous designer. And that you were dating Ben Florian previously, and it only broke up a couple of months ago. Is that true? Ben Florian the Governors son? Starting his own political career Ben Florian?”

Carlos sighed. “I was hoping I’d get a chance to tell you first,” he said. “Yes, I dated Ben. And yes, my mom was well-known before she lost everything. I don’t have any money or fame myself, I just seem to attract people who do.” There was a long silence. “I mean it, she left me nothing.” 

“If you say so.” Jay sounded doubtful. “It’s just weird that you just got out of a relationship too. So we’re both rebounding? That’s not too good.” Jay went silent, and Carlos heard him drinking something, ice cubes clinking. He held back from asking what it was. 

“I’m over Ben,” Carlos said. “I don’t care if I ever see him again. He made his choice and that’s that. And I didn’t want to date you because you were a basketball star. I wanted to date you because you were kind.” There was another pause.

“Yeah?” Jay sounded hopeful, then. “That’s good. I try to treat people right. Most of the time they just exploit it. I guess I thought you were doing the same.” 

“I’m not. I know it doesn’t look good. But I’m really just a normal person.” Carlos was sitting on his couch, taking his shoes off. “I just want to date someone I like who likes me. I wish I had more money, sure, so I could have my dog and maybe get a house one day. But I don’t expect anyone else to fund it.”

“Okay,” Jay said. “I’ll probably still pay for most of our dates though. I don’t want to put you out too much.” Jay paused, and Carlos heard him take another drink. “Honestly, you should be asking me more about Harry. He was a real piece of work.”

“Well, do you still want to be with him? That’s probably the most important thing to ask.” 

Another pause. “No,” he said. “But it sucks we can’t be friends. Harry is so funny. He’s talented too, but he has to learn how to get out of his own way. He could go so far in his life. But as it stands, I don’t think I can be friends with him. We weren’t good for each other.” 

Carlos laid back on his couch. “Yeah, I understand,” he said. Carlos paused. “Your drinking worries me,” he said. “But you’re trying to quit.”

Jay was silent. “Yeah,” he said. “I can’t really take the time to go to rehab for it. If you’d called the cops that day, I’m sure they would have forced me to go. Instead I’m seeing a doctor, and one of my teammates is helping me out.” 

“Good,” Carlos said. He was silent a minute. “I guess if you still want to see me, I still want to see you. Are you okay with that?”

“I wish I was at your house right now,” Jay said. “But I’ve got a lot of practice and stuff. Maybe you can visit me.” 

“What, now?” Carlos looked. It was about eleven pm. He had tomorrow off, but he wasn’t going anywhere else tonight. “Maybe not now. I’m just really tired.” 

“Yeah, you’re right,” Jay said. “I wasn’t trying to call you over for a booty call-well, maybe. If you wanted.” Carlos laughed. “I just want to see you. I hope I get to soon. You’re really nice to be around.” Jay’s voice sounded wistful, and Carlos swallowed a lump in his throat. Was he already getting attached? It seems Jay was too.

There was a minute of silence. Then Jay said “Hey, I’ll let you go. Go get something to eat and get ready for bed. Let me know when I can see you again.” 

“I will,” Carlos said. “I’m off tomorrow, but you sound busy then.” Jay hummed, as if trying to decide what to say. 

“I’ll text you,” he said. “If I’m not too tired, we can do something.” 

“Okay,” Carlos said. “See you then.” 

Then they hung up and Carlos got something to eat.


	5. Chapter Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Carlos goes over to Jay's.

The next day, he went to Evie’s house. He had a key, and she told it it was okay if he came over before s he got off work. “Hey! Hey Dude!” He said. Dude barked and ran over, jumping in Carlos’s arms. “Hey baby, I missed you. You’ve been good? Have you?” Dude wriggled and licked his face. “All right. Let’s take you for a walk.” 

He wound up taking Dude to the park, letting him run and chase a ball. It was fun for both of them, Carlos getting a day to himself. He wound up bringing Dude back to Evie’s, and stayed another hour before going home. 

When he got back, he checked his messages. Nothing. So he went to do errands. An hour later, back with groceries, he checked again. There was one text from Jay, about ten minutes ago. He texted him back. 

**Hey, can I do Face Time?**

**Okay,** Carlos typed. After a minute, Jay was there, grinning. “How was your day?”

“Good. I went to see Dude.” Jay looked confused. “My dog.” 

“Oh. Good. I’ve been in practice all day. It’s been a good day, but I’m tired.” Jay was quiet. “You’re putting your groceries up?” 

“Yeah, let me finish that.” Carlos put everything up while Jay chatted at him. After a minute, Jay said. “Hey. I’d like to see you tonight. Do you have to be at work early tomorrow?” Carlos paused. “I mean, you don’t have to.” 

‘You want me to come to your place?” Jay nodded. Carlos thought about it. “I don’t have to come in early. Maybe I’ll come over for a while.” He wasn’t sure if Jay wanted him to spend the night. “Is that okay?” 

“Sure. Just come by. We can watch movies or something.” Jay looked depressed, and Carlos remembered that Jay didn’t like being alone. “I’ve got some snacks and stuff. I’d just like to see you.” 

“Okay, I’ll be there.” It was about seven. “Give me about thirty minutes.” He begged off, fixed a snack, and then headed out. He might have brought an overnight bag too, just in case.

When he got to the apartments, he called Jay, who came outside to greet him. “Hey, right here,” he said, and pulled Carlos into a hug. “Come in.” They walked into Jay’s apartment and Carlos looked around.

It was big, a lot of space. There was stuff thrown on chairs, but not a lot of mess. Someone was keeping it clean. There didn’t seem to be a lot of possessions, but there was a huge TV and a big sectional couch. He felt arms around him and looked to see Jay holding him back to front. “Anything you want to watch?”

Carlos thought about it, but Jay’s hold was distracting. “Put on whatever, we can sit in front of the TV,” Carlos said. 

“You okay with one my the team’s games? I watch them to look for stuff I need to improve on.” Carlos didn’t know shit about sports, but he was going to have to learn soon, so he nodded. Jay dropped his hands and turned the TV on. Carlos moved to sit next to him. 

They sat in silence for a while, sitting close. “Do you want anything? I can make you a snack. I can’t cook very well, but I can do that.” Carlos shook his head. “You okay? You seem quiet.” 

“I’m okay. But my back hurts.” Jay stared at him. “I kind of pulled it when I was at work. It’ll be fine in a while, I didn’t file workman’s comp or anything.” Jay moved the arm he had around him. “You can touch me, that doesn’t hurt, your arm there.”

“Well, I was thinking, Jack, the team massage therapist. He’s shown me a few tricks. I can rub your back if you want me too.” Carlos stared at Jay. “I mean, if you don’t want me to, that’s fine.” Carlos wondered if this was a way to get him into bed. Then he thought maybe he was okay with that. So he nodded. 

“Okay. Um, let me put the couch in a way you can lie down. And I’ll get a blanket.” Jay started grabbing sections and putting them together so Carlos could lie down, then left the room. Carlos took a deep breath, then took off his shirt and shoes.

Carlos came back with a blanket, and then stopped dead. “Wow,” he said. “You’ve got those freckles everywhere. And your body...shit. I’m getting carried away,” He put the blanket down. “Um, lie down?” 

Carlos moved so he was on the couch, on his stomach, pillowing his head on his arms. He heard a bottle of lotion opened, and then shivered at the cold feeling as Jay spread it on his shoulder blades. “Oops. Sorry.” 

“It’s okay.” Carlos took deep breaths to calm down. Being with a new partner, in any sort of physical way, always made him nervous. But Jay just kept touching his back lightly, running his palms from the top down to the small of his back and then back up. “Feels good.”

“Where does it hurt?” Carlos swallowed. 

“Left side, middle.” Jay brushed his fingers over until Carlos let out a groan. “Yeah. Be gentle.” 

“I will.” Jay rubbed over the sore part, but mostly concentrated on the muscles around it. Carlos moaned again, this time in relief as Jay loosened the tightness in his back. “Am I doing this right?” Carlos moaned again as he started to sink into the couch. 

“Oh yeah,” he said, his voice husky. He was a little turned on, but he felt relaxed and wanted more of Jay’s hands. “You can do this as long as you want.” Jay laughed then, sounding nervous, then kept touching Carlos. 

After a minute, Jay’s hands stopped. Carlos looked over to see Jay pulling his shirt off. He was knelt on the floor near the couch, and Carlos had a great view of his chest. There were a few tattoos, and he had one pierced nipple. Carlos reached for it, brushing his thumb against it. “Oh shit,” Jay said, and he laughed again. “Be careful doing that. It might lead to other things.” 

“Maybe it will,” Carlos said. “But rub my back more for now.”

“I think I’m spoiling you. I’m okay with that,” Jay said, and he kept touching Carlos, rubbing and loosening Carlos’s muscles. That went on a few more minutes. Then Jay started rubbing his hands over Carlos’s ass. “Too much?”

Carlos could feel his hard on pressed against the cushions. “No.” He moved then, unbuttoning his pants and pushing them down. He left his boxer briefs on. “You can touch me.” 

Carlos looked at Jay, who was staring at him. Then Jay pulled the pants off the rest of the way, and started touching Carlos’s ass through his underwear. Then Carlos heard him get the lotion again, and then he felt Jay rubbing his legs, from the thighs all the way to his feet. “Oh, fuck,” he said, and Jay laughed. 

Jay kept rubbing, and Carlos felt like he was melting. “That’s so good,” he said. “My legs hurt all the time.”

“Maybe I can get you to work out with me,” Jay said. “Make you stronger, help your endurance.” He rubbed Carlos’s feet. “I don’t have a foot fetish, by the way.” Carlos laughed, because that was kind of random. “I mean, just so you know.” 

“So we’re gonna talk about what we like?” Jay’s hands stilled, then Carlos felt a kiss on the small of his back. “You like topping?” 

“Mmm-hmm,” Jay said. His voice was deeper, huskier. Carlos turned where he could see Jay. “I like topping, but I like making my partner happy. I like to give. It’s not fun for me if you don’t come first.” Carlos watched him-Jay was hard in his sweatpants. “And I have turnround times, where I want to get fucked. Not that often.” 

Carlos reached out and touched Jay’s chest again. “All that sounds good,” he said. “I’m mostly vanilla. I don’t like anything rough, but it doesn’t sound like that’s something you’re into.” Jay shook his head. “But you like your piercing, right? Me playing with it?” Jay nodded. “And I’m versatile. So I’m good either way.” 

“All that’s good,” Jay said, and Carlos turned all the way over, so he was on his back. Jay traced his hands over Carlos’s chest, then came in for a kiss. Carlos opened too it, and Jay touched his tongue to his. “Goddamn, you’re so sexy,” he whispered against Carlos’s mouth. 

Carlos giggled. “Want to take this back to your room?” Jay grinned and stood up, helping Carlos up. Jay held him back to front again as they stumbled to the bedroom. Jay turned the light on, and Carlos went straight to his large bed and stretched himself out.

“Fuck,” Jay said. “You’re not wasting time.” Jay took off the rest of his clothes then, and Carlos wriggled out of his boxer briefs. When he looked back up, Jay was standing over him with some lube and condoms. “Um,” Jay said. “Here.” It was a piece of paper. 

Carlos looked at it. “So you’re clean?” Jay nodded. “You got checked after you broke up with Harry?”

“Yeah.” Jay laughed a little. “Sorry. There’s no non-awkward way to show people that. I still want to use condoms though.” Carlos nodded. “We don’t have to fuck, if you don’t want. I mean, shit, just tell me what you want me to do.” 

“You do like giving,” Carlos said. “Come here. I want to kiss you more.” Jay scrambled on the bed, pushing him down into the mattress as they kissed. Jay’s hands ran all over his body, touching his stomach, thighs, and ass. 

Carlos moved with Jay, kissing him the entire time. Then Jay broke the kiss to move down Carlos’s body, kissing down his chest. “Fuck. Your body is amazing,” Jay said. Carlos moaned and spread his legs further. “Tell me.”

Carlos looked down at Jay. “Go down on me.” Jay grabbed a condom and put it on before getting his mouth around Carlos. That threw him a little, but Jay did say he wanted to use them. Then Jay took nearly all of his cock at once, and Carlos stopped thinking. 

Despite the barrier, Carlos could feel everything, especially when Jay used his hands to stroke him. “Gonna make me come,” he said. “Too fast.” Jay immediately slowed down, and Carlos brushed some of Jay’s hair back. 

Carlos watched him, Jay’s eyes closed and the occasional smile when he pulled off. “Can’t believe you’re this hot and you like giving head this much,” Carlos said, and Jay laughed. 

“It’s fun,” he said, continued. Carlos relaxed, staring at the ceiling. After a few minutes, he touched Jay’s shoulder. “Ready?” Carlos nodded. Jay stripped the condom off and finished Carlos with his hand, coming up to kiss him when Carlos was gasping. 

“Fuck,” Carlos said, and Jay laughed. “Thanks. I haven’t been with anyone since I dumped Ben.” That had been three months ago. Jay kissed him again. “What can I do for you?” Jay rolled over, spreading his legs, big smile on his face. “You want me to blow you too?” 

“Yeah. You don’t have to use a condom if you don’t want to. But it’s our first time and...” Jay trailed off. 

_It’s our first time and my last boyfriend cheated on me._ Carlos couldn’t blame him. Carlos gave Jay a quick kiss and grabbed a condom. He got it on while kissing Jay, and got some lube. Jay giggled when Carlos played with his piercing, then bit his lip when Carlos took him in his mouth. 

It was a little harder, with the condom, but Jay didn’t seem to have any complaints. He moaned and purred and played with Carlos’s hair. Carlos could hear him talking under his breath, but not what he was saying. Jay being so into it was going to his head, making him want to pull more sounds out of him. 

Jay groaned when he pulled off. “No, don’t stop.” Carlos looked up at him.

“Do you want fingers?” Jay’s eyebrows went up, surprised, and then he nodded. Carlos grabbed the lube, and Jay flailed in the direction of the nightstand. Carlos opened it and found latex gloves. 

“You really are prepared,” he said, putting a glove on. 

“Yeah,” Jay said. “Always good to be. Never know when a pretty young man will try to have you arrested in a department store.” Carlos laughed and pushed one finger in. “Oh. Yeah. You’ve got good hands.” 

“I just started.” Carlos kissed Jay’s thigh. He added another finger, and started back sucking Jay. Jay went mostly silent then, with a few moans. Then Jay cried out. 

“Fuck that’s it.” Carlos kept sucking Jay though the condom as he came, then pulled it off. He got up to throw the condom away, then got back in bed. Jay pulled him into an embrace. “That was so good,” Jay said, nuzzling him. “So many people, they just take.” 

“I like to give as good as I get,” Carlos said, and kissed Jay’s cheek. Then he sat up. “I have to get something out of my car.”

“What?” Jay sat up, immediately concerned. “Are you going to leave? Don’t leave.” Carlos stood by the bed, and Jay reached for him. “Stay the night, I want you to.”

“I am,” Carlos said. “But I have an overnight bag in my car. You said we probably weren’t going to have sex, so I didn’t bring it in. I just want to get it for tomorrow morning.”

“Oh. Okay.” Jay flopped back on the bed, and Carlos went to the living room to get his clothes. He quickly went out into the brisk night air and got it. When he got back, Jay was asleep, hair spread out on the pillow like a halo.

Carlos got back in bed. Jay had fallen asleep in the middle of the bed, so he curled on his side and clung to Jay, pulling the covers over both of them. “Night,” he whispered. Jay didn’t wake up.


	6. Chapter Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Carlos's sex life gets put on the news.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the formatting issues. I've put this back up.

“Hey, wake up.” 

Carlos rubbed his face. “What time is it?” He was a little confused about where he was, but then realized, oh. Jay. Jay’s place. “Hey.” 

“Hi.” Carlos opened his eyes, and saw Jay already dressed and with a coffee cup. “Um, I have to go,” he said, apologetic. “Here’s some coffee. I don’t have any breakfast fixed, but just get whatever you want. You can stay here as long as you want.” Carlos could feel how awkward Jay felt, and felt a little of it too. Mornings after were always weird. 

“Thanks, I’ll call you later.” He sat up, and Jay kissed him before running out the door. Carlos sipped his coffee. After a few minutes of silence, he took a shower, dressed, and got his phone from the living room. It was seven thirty, and he didn’t have to be at work until one. 

It was too quiet without Jay there. He moved some of the sectional cushions he’d laid on for last night’s massage, and turned on the TV morning news. 

He sipped his coffee through the weather and general news. Then the reporter said “And now, a word about Ben Florian. He was asked about his plans for the city council, as well as some personal questions. Here’s the footage.”

Carlos put down his coffee cup as they showed Ben onscreen. First it was just talk about his political plans. Then the reporter asked him, “It seems your old boyfriend has moved on. Anything to say about that?” 

“Well,” Ben said, and Carlos felt his anger rise as Ben put on the puppy eyes for the cameras. “I just hope he’s happy wherever he is. He broke up with me and I haven’t had any contact since then. He didn’t want to hear from me, so. I don’t really know anything about the man he’s seeing now, but I’ve seen him play. I know he signed for a lot of money last year. I guess I don’t have much to say. I hope he’s happy.” 

Carlos wanted to throw something. Typical-Ben never admitted to fault. Carlos had been _cheated on_ and Ben made himself out to be the victim. And he never said that Carlos was unreasonable or only dating people for money. He just implied it. 

Goddamn son of a bitch. 

Would this get him in trouble at work? It could be too much bad publicity. He was working at an upscale department store that older women with money frequented. They might take a dislike to him from this sort of news.

Then the camera cut to footage that had been taken, last night, in front of Jay’s apartment. There he was going into Jay’s apartment, clear as day. Carlos felt his fingernails bite into his palms as he squeezed his fists shut. 

He sent a quick text to Jay. _Paps are stalking us. You may need a higher security apartment. I’m on the news._ He didn’t get a text back, but he didn’t expect one. He knew Jay was at practice.  
After that, he just got some cereal from Jay’s cupboards and ate. Then he left for home, hoping he wouldn’t be followed. Didn’t Auradon have anything better to do than talk about his sex life? He was so angry he almost ran a stop sign. But he made it home. 

Carlos still had hours before work, so he puttered. He fixed some chicken to eat later in the week, cleaned his apartment. After a while, he went to his sewing machine and worked on a shirt he was fixing. He didn’t want to think about Ben and the news just then. 

Then after a while, he put on some nice work clothes and went in. 

He just did his shift and said nothing. He saw the looks some of the staff and customers gave him, and ignored it. Audrey looked smug, like she was really enjoying his discomfort. He hadn’t actually gotten her in trouble, but try telling her that. 

Jane, at least, was sympathetic. “Talk to Jay when you get home,” she said, and he nodded. He was going to. They needed to talk about safety and security if they were going to continue to see each other. He still wanted to see Jay, of course. He was beautiful and sweet. He just didn’t like the complications.

When he got home, he checked his texts. There were a few, most from Jay. A few from old friends who had dropped him when he dropped Ben. He blocked those. Then he called Jay. “Hey.”

‘Hey,” he said, sounding down. “I’m really sorry you had to go through that. I’m finally seeing about getting an apartment that has a gate. I’ve put it off too long. It’s just they’re so expensive. I’m not used to having money. I had jack shit growing up.”

“Yeah?” Carlos could see that. “I just hate that they’re asking Ben questions about me. I want to forget about him. Hard when he’s talking about me on the news.” Carlos sat in his favorite chair, taking his shoes off. “Today at work was weird. I’m not in trouble, but I know people are talking.” 

“Then your co workers are stupid,” Jay said. Carlos laughed. “Look,” Jay said. “I hope you don’t regret being with me. Last night was amazing. I really like having you around. I want to see you again this week. We can go wherever you want.” 

“I want to see you too,’ Carlos said. “But I hate that we’re getting tailed. Is there anywhere we can go where we can be left alone?” There was a pause.

“I can think of some clubs, they’re exclusive to get into,” he said. “And I’ll have a new place to live in a week. I just don’t want this to spoil you wanting to see me. It’s nice to date someone again. And um.” Jay sounded nervous. “You looked really good in my bed.” 

Carlos laughed, embarrassed. “I just look how I look. You’re probably right, I need to work out more.” 

“You’re so sexy, you have no idea,” Jay said. “But yeah, I’ll look into places that we can hopefully not be bothered. I don’t like these complications either. And you don’t deserve to be treated like this. Nobody’s being a dick to me, and they could be.” 

“What do you mean, they could be a dick? You mean Harry?” 

“Yeah. But also-I don’t know if you pay any attention to my job, but I’ve had a lot of issues in the past with getting penalties. I’m kind of a hothead on the court. It’s gotten better.” Carlos didn’t say anything for a minute. “Still there?” 

“Was it because of your drinking?” Now it was Jay’s turn to be silent. “I just feel like I should know.” 

“I didn’t play drunk,” Jay said. “But I could be hungover sometimes. And I would just get angry. I don’t know. I guess I was just being an asshole.” Jay was quiet for a while. “I feel like maybe I’m not a good person, and you’re going to stop seeing me.”

“I don’t think you’re a bad person,” Carlos said. “But I want to know what’s going on so I can deal with it. And I first met you at a really bad time, remember? And I’m still here.” Carlos stretched his legs. “Ow. I might need another of your massages.”

“I wouldn’t mind,” Jay said, laughing. “Do you have to be up early tomorrow?” 

“No. Oh, and I should get tested too, since you did.” Carlos felt it was only fair. “And, I really like seeing you too.” There was another silence. 

“I’m glad it’s not one-sided,” Jay said. “You know, if you do come over, there might be pictures again. So if you don’t want to come,” Jay’s voice dropped to a near whisper. “I understand.” 

Carlos could hear it in Jay’s voice, that h he was already attached to him. More attached than Carlos currently was. But he didn’t want to stop, seeing Jay was making his life interesting again. For the last few months, it had only been work and nothing else. 

“I can come over,’ he said. “And maybe we can go out this weekend.” Jay giggled, delighted, and Carlos smiled. Jay was really sweet. He could get used to him. 

Later, they were back on Jay’s couch, naked, Carlos in Jay’s lap. Carlos rode Jay, slowly, as he held him in place with his strong hands. “I like you,” Jay whispered, and Carlos kissed him. Right then, he didn’t care if anyone had pictures of them. Everything was fine.


End file.
